A national writer recently published his list of the top 100 NFL players of 2022.
CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco’s list of the NFL’s top 100 players features a quartet of former Clemson standouts.
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell is the highest-ranked former Tiger on Prisco’s list, coming in at No. 68.
Terrell is coming off a breakout 2021 season that saw him earn second-team All-Pro honors after tallying 81 total tackles (52 solo), a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games (16 starts).
A two-time All-ACC selection at Clemson, Terrell didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in a game last season, allowed fewer than 20 yards in 13 games last season and also recorded the lowest passer rating allowed (47.5) and the lowest completion percentage allowed (43.9), according to PFF. Additionally, per PFF, the Atlanta native and 2020 first-round draft pick yielded only 200 yards over the course of the entire season.
“He quietly had an impressive season in his second year in the league,” Prisco wrote. “He is a long corner who can cover outside and is a willing tackler in the run game. He looks like a future star.”
Prisco has former Clemson and current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins ranked three spots behind Terrell at No. 71.
Hopkins played only 10 games last season due to a hamstring injury and then a season-ending MCL injury that he suffered in Week 14 in December, and he will have to sit out the first six games of this season as he serves a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
However, the five-time Pro Bowler had missed a total of just two games in the first eight years of his NFL career prior to last season. Hopkins finished the 2021 season with career lows in catches (42) and receiving yards (572), but still led the Cardinals with a team-high eight receiving touchdowns.
“Injuries limited him to 10 games last season and he had a career-low 42 catches,” Prisco wrote. “He did have eight touchdown catches. Now in his ninth season, he has to stay healthy, especially since he’s already been suspended for the first six games.”
Grady Jarrett is also ranked in the 70s on Prisco’s list, with the former Tiger and current Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle checking in at No. 77.
During his NFL career so far, Jarrett has seen action in 110 games with 95 starts while totaling 359 tackles (198 solo), 26.5 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 89 quarterback hits. He helped the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2016 season.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Jarrett signed a three-year contract extension with the Falcons this offseason and is entering his eighth season with the Falcons in 2022.
“On a bad team, he remains a bright spot,” Prisco wrote. “His ability to push the pocket and play the run make him one of the better inside players in the game.”
Deshaun Watson also made Prisco’s list at No. 83.
The former Clemson quarterback, of course, was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March from the Houston Texans, who received three first-round draft picks in return. The three-time Pro Bowler then got a new fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million, setting a new record for the highest guarantee given to an NFL player.
The NFL recently reached a deal on a disciplinary settlement with Watson, agreeing to an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine for violations of the personal conduct policy.
Two other former Tigers — defensive tackle D.J. Reader of the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow of the Las Vegas Raiders — were named among Prisco’s honorable mentions.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
